100 Engine Lifting Device

In the process of removing the engine:

In the Austin Healey 100 Service Manual it illustrates a specially designed bracket to give the correct lifting angle in order to lift out the engine & gearbox combined.

I am looking to have the bracket machined by a local machine shop. Question is.....has anyone out there got any dimensions I can work to?

Thanks,


Tony

Tony, I just used a regular engine hoist and chain, it has been a few years, but I don't remember any great issues, I did pull the tranny off the motor first, opinions differ on whether this is the best way to do it, but it made it easier to pull the engine out, I am sure. These days they make a tilting device for the hoist that would be helpful, I didn't have one when I pulled the Healey motor, but have since, they are handy, you can also achieve similar results by raising or lowering the angle the car is lifted off the ground with a jack under the front crossmember. https://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-capacity-heavy-duty-load-leveler-5402.html (example)

Tony- any cheap foreign tool store will have a lifting bar that is perfect for the job

Sme things to consider are, first, that your engine crane will fit under the car. I had to take the front wheels off mine because in addition to the wheels I was afraid that with the transmission installed the boom wouldn't rise high enough to clear the shroud. I ended up rolling the car out from under the raised engine and transmission assembly. I was doing it myself with one of the adjustable load leveler devices so I could adjust how the engine and gearbox hung. It was all going well until I got to the point where all I had to do was raise the output end of the gearbox up about 2 inches and roll the car out from under...Alone, I simply could not make both things happen so I had to run and get a neighbor (half a mile away) to lend me a hand for a minute. I had to leave the whole thing hanging while I went to get him because I couldn't bring myself to lower it all back down. I was petrified while I was gone that I'd come back and find the ram had collapsed, along with my front end. All's well that ends well I got it out in one piece. If you choose that route get an adjustable leveler and have plenty of help for the part when you actually pull the engine. The only advantage to pulling everything out at once is avoiding removing and re-installing the gearbox with the engine in place. I think next time, if there ever is one, I will split the two and have a much easier and less scary time raising only the engine. The combination of the two is a lot of weight and is bigger than it looks. Just my .02.

Agree with both the above.

A standard "ebay" engine crane is enough to do the job. BUT the horizontal leg extensions will be required and to get these to fit under the car you will have to jack up the front wheels a few inches, if you take the front wheels off you won't be able to roll the car backwards to clear the shroud. I had to do this, with help, - it was a bit of a fiddle but worked.

Headroom in a typical garage is limited, I recall smashing a flourescent tube with the consequent glass shards a nuisance
to clear up. As noted above the angle leveller that often accompany the cranes are a godsend. The brackets on these are similar to those shown in the manual.

I took the engine and gearbox out separately, which, I'm sure made things easier, but intend to put them back as one piece. I think putting them back is more controllable than removal.

In fact, you can use bolt holes in the engine plates effectively getting, maybe, 12 inches of extra headroom for a combined replacement.

I see you are in the UK, so am I, you're welcome to borrow mine if your'e in travelling distance. I'm in the frozen north west.

Where in the North West, We are in Arnside, The wet South Lakes!

Hello Tony,
I also took my transmission out first to make things easyer to manage because i do everything alone. Even without the transmission you still need to tilt the front of the motor at a fairly radical angle for it to clear the front of your shroud. I used the Olberg tilt lift which made it much easyer, but they cost about $85 dollars. I used the typical $150 dollar engine hoist i bought at pepboys. Oh yeah...dont use the generator bracket for one of your lifting points ok! Its a good idea to use a extra safety measure! It saved me one time!

I have done this both ways - with engine and tranny together - and with them apart. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, it's a lot easier to connect/disconnect the engine and tranny while out of the car, and some of the engine/tranny bolts are hard to get to when the engine is installed. On the other hand, with the engine and tranny together, the angle at which you have to tilt the assembly is pretty steep, and of course the whole thing is a bit heavier.

Overall, I think it's easier to install/remove them as a unit. You will need an engine tilting device, and be prepared to monkey around a little. For example, I had to remove the handle on the tilting device I had because the angle was so steep that the handle hit the chains. I had to use a ratcheting wrench instead of the handle.. I also had to lengthen the chains on the tilting device to reach the bolt holes I was using to lift from. It's definitely easier to roll the car out from under the engine that to try to roll the engine hoist.

Keith

This is a very apt thread, I have decided to take my engine out early in the new year, we are burning a pint of oil in less than 100 miles. I have a 3000 and a lowish garage roof and a fixed lifting beam with a chain hoist and the prospect of borrowing one of those tilting devices. How much room do you need above the car to clear the body with the engine?

I too was thinking of spliting the engine from the gear box in the car. I think that I will have to measure things up carfully before I make the attempt.



Bob

OK

To TonyR
I'm in north Preston, just off the M55 turn off of the M6.

I don't know what you intend to do but feel free.


BTW. On a more general point. Extra free manoeuvring room can be had by draining the oil and removing the sump (?6 inches). You can also remove the cylinder head with further gain and use 4 corner head studs for the attachments. Obviously, depending on reason for removing the engine. some say that using head studs may bend them, they are tough beasts, and the manual shows the whole kit being suspended from 2 lesser gauge rocker studs!

Bob Hughes said:

How much room do you need above the car to clear the body with the engine?




Bob

Click to expand...

Bob,

I don't have measurements, but this will give you an idea of the height:



You can also see that I have the front wheels raised so the crane can fit under the car. This is necessary to get the end of the hoist far enough into the engine compartment. I prefer to remove and install the engine and transmission as a unit, it really saves a lot of time in trying to mate them back together on re-installation. Nevertheless, there's always some moments of anxiety when the lump is swinging over that delicate shroud.

You can indeed lift the engine by the head studs, but I would recommend using something to keep the load straight up. I used a piece of U-channel in which I drilled holes for two of the head bolts (the two longest ones that hold the valve cover on). I installed a couple of heavy duty eye-bolts on either end. It looked like this:


The only disadvantage to this is that I don't think you could tilt the engine enough if the tranny were attached. Also, I was able to find a hoist that fit under the car without jacking it up.

Here is a picture showing installation with the tranny attached. I think you need to attach the chains pretty far forward and back to achieve the correct angle.


Keith

I just removed my 100 engine and trans in one shot. Secret is to jack up the rear of the car with jack stands which changes the angle of the engine and tranny exiting the car. Attach your chain or lifting device. Use a floor jack to jack up the rear of the tranny to remove the trans mounts. Jack up the engine hoist arm, start sliding the engine hoist forward and the floor jack forward, lower the floor jack, continure to raise the engine hoist arm and slide it out. I used a piece of chain and was a couple of links off and had to push the back of the tranny down with my hand but it was balanced and did not take much effort. Make sure you remove the drivers side motor mount so it will not hit the steering column

I've done this lifting the whole thing out with a chain hoist attached to a truss in my shop. I didn't even have lifting device. I attached a piece of chain to two of the head bolts after removing the head and guessed at a lifting point. It makes it easier if you have a helper to push while you maneuver the engine. If you snug whatever lifting device down next to the engine block there's no danger of bending the bolts. This is with a 6 cylinder with overdrive. Should be easier with a four. The Southern way to do this is to hook a hoist to a tree limb in the front yard thus shade tree mechanic.

glemon said:

Tony, I just used a regular engine hoist and chain, it has been a few years, but I don't remember any great issues, I did pull the tranny off the motor first, opinions differ on whether this is the best way to do it, but it made it easier to pull the engine out, I am sure. These days they make a tilting device for the hoist that would be helpful, I didn't have one when I pulled the Healey motor, but have since, they are handy, you can also achieve similar results by raising or lowering the angle the car is lifted off the ground with a jack under the front crossmember. https://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-capacity-heavy-duty-load-leveler-5402.html (example)

Click to expand...

Saw this thread on the chains snapping on that leveling device: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=761935. I can imagine yanking a six cylinder with tranny and o/d attached might give it a real stress test. Be careful. The shroud (or life) you save may be your own.

Wow,
I have solid modelled a lifting device and had one machined. I will photograph it in situ on the engine before I attempt to lift it out.
I would not take a chance with Chinese chains!

Tony

Hello, Guys , I am getting ready to put my 100/6 engine in with the tranny attached , except i do not have wheels on the car nor do i have the schroud on it either. this is a very clean nut and bolt resto from bottom up and a new engine and trans rebuild. The question I have is I have moved the engine around on the 2 valve cover bolts without an issue but i am a little scared of using those same bolts to drop in the engine and tranny in one piece . I like the picture of the balancer with the chains attached to the front engine plate instead of the valve cover bolts - checking for some reasurance before I make the move . thanks

I did our 100-6 using those two valve cover bolts. Engine and trans just like you intend to do and had no issues. Yes it is scary with that heavy assembly that high up but it does work.

healeyblue said:

I did our 100-6 using those two valve cover bolts. Engine and trans just like you intend to do and had no issues. Yes it is scary with that heavy assembly that high up but it does work.

Click to expand...

WOW! just 2 chains ? not 4 ?

1 chain!